'Phubbing' is new trend you're likely guilty of and it's ruining relationships

A new trend may have a detrimental impact on your relationship - and you might not even be aware of doing it.

The trend is called 'phubbing' and refers to a faux pas which many of us have been guilty of probably more than once.

It might be an unfamiliar name to many of us, so let's set the scene to demonstrate what 'phubbing' is.

Imagine that you're out on a date with someone, it could be date night with a long term partner or it could be meeting someone off Tinder for the first time.

You're both sat round a candlelit table in a fancy restaurant or a bar, with soothing background music or the howling of a mediocre metal band in your ears.

Things are going well, you're both having fun, maybe they could be the one, or if they are the one, then this is a good date night to enjoy each other's company.

But suddenly your phone goes off, and despite the romantic moment, you just can't resist the urge to scratch that technology-induced brain itch that ensues.

So you cave and look at your phone, and start texting back.

Well, congratulations - you are now indulging in phubbing.

Things would be going great if it wasn't for phubbing (Tom Werner / Getty)

This is a portmanteau of 'phone' and 'snubbing' because you are snubbing someone by going on your phone instead.

You perhaps shouldn't need someone to tell you that this is a very rude thing to do - but experts have looked into the precise impact that this can have on people's relationships.

A 2022 study examined the effect of 'phubbing', with the authors explaining: “The phenomenon of phubbing, which hits individuals’ social interactions, is an important risk factor for romantic relationships.

“In other words, partners’ being too busy with their smartphones during their romantic relationships harms relationship satisfaction and perceived romantic relationship quality.”

Not even just that, but phubbing your partner could even lower your levels of happiness on a more general level as well.

A textbook case of phubbing (Petri Oeschger / Getty)

So it's not just the phubbee who ends up being phubbed off, but the phubber as well.

The paper further explained: “The results… indicate that partner phubbing had a significant indirect effect on life satisfaction through perceived romantic relationship quality and relationship satisfaction.

“These results reveal that relationship satisfaction and perceived romantic relationship quality decrease in individuals who are exposed to partner phubbing behaviors, and that decreased relationship satisfaction and romantic relationship quality harm life satisfaction.”